Human health risk assessment of pesticide residues in snappers (Lutjanus) fish from the Navachiste Lagoon complex, Mexico

•OCP in Lutjanus spp. from the Navachiste Lagoon complex, Mexico, were determined.•Among OCPs concentration and size, weight, season and physico-chemical data were non-significant.•The use of OCP turns the frequent consumption of Lutjanus spp. contaminated with OCPs.•Detected levels of total OCP in Lutjanus spp. were lower than the MRLs.•Estimated daily intake of OCP in Luthjanus spp. for chronic health were 0.02739gday−1. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues were determined in fillets of Lutjanus colorado, L. argentiventris, and L. novemfasciatus. Fillet samples were collected bimonthly from February 2012 to February 2013. OCPs average concentrations do not differ significantly according to size, weight, or season, nor do they relate with the physico-chemical parameters of the sea water. The highest concentration and most frequently encountered OCPs were endosulfan sulfate, δ-HCH, and heptachlor epoxide, which indicates their use in the recent past and confirms their persistence. Average concentrations of ∑HCHs, ∑chlordane, and ∑heptachlor in samples were above cancer MRLs according to data from monthly consumed portions. HCHs and heptachlor are listed in Appendix III of the Rotterdam Convention of chemicals placed on a prior informed consent procedure for import and export purposes; they are considered illegal in Mexico. The OCPs concentrations above cancer MRLs in Lutjanus spp. turn its frequent consumption into a human health risk.